The Lady in the Lake
The Lady of the Lake is the sixth episode in season nine of . Synopsis The CSIs investigate a twisted fairy tale when a woman in a ball gown is found at the bottom of the pond outside Belvedere Castle in Central Park. Plot Flack arrests Phil Rennick for murder, and the man says he threw the gun in the Turtle Pond by Belvedere Castle in Central Park. Adam tries to find the weapon by diving into the water, but he doesn’t have any luck. Mac is unwilling to let Rennick get away with murder, so he has the pond drained. They find the weapon, but they also discover another body. A young woman in a ballgown is tied to a sunken boat, and she has been underwater for several days. The victim is Ashley Braden. She was hit over the head with a rock, and she was pushed into the water within minutes of being killed. She is wearing a cheap bra and a designer dress, but the tag is still in the dress, indicating that she planned to take it back after she wore it. There’s bruising around her wrist from being grabbed, and Jo finds a small blood stain preserved under her arm. A CODIS hit leads to Joseph Skiver. He has a long rap sheet, but he denies killing Ashley. He last saw her Saturday night, and she said she couldn’t see him anymore because she didn’t want to give her rich boyfriend the wrong idea. She had a past, but she was leaving her old life behind. Skiver says he was happy for her, and the blood must have gotten on her when he was hugging her goodbye. Plant trace on the victim’s shoe leads to the primary crime scene next to the castle. There was a party in the castle that night, with 300 very rich people, but none of them reported Ashley missing. Danny reassembles a $50,000 check that was torn into pieces. The name ends with ‘ello’, and Ashley was the guest of Matthew DiBello at the party. They speak to the man, who says that Ashley sent him a text on Sunday morning that she was going to Kansas City for a few days. He had no idea the woman was killed, and he denies giving her the check. He knew about her past, but he didn’t care. A series of divots in the ground next to the pond are from water running off an umbrella. Someone was standing there, facing the pond, during a short downpour after midnight. This person either killed Ashley or saw who did it, and a bloodstain that was protected by the umbrella leads back to Matthew. He grabbed Ashley’s arm during an argument, and the clasp of her bracelet cut his palm. In order to determine if he was the killer or the witness, they trace Ashley’s phone. It was thrown away after sending Matthew the message Sunday morning. Matthew’s mother, Krista, killed Ashley, and her son is an eye witness. The woman denies that Matthew saw anything, and she insists that he wouldn’t tell them even if he had seen something. Jo speaks to Matthew, acknowledging the obstacles that Ashley had to overcome in her life. She was able to accomplish so much before her life was tragically cut short, and Jo convinces Matthew to do the right thing for Ashley’s sake. He asks to speak to his mother, and he confronts her about hating Ashley. The young woman was just trying to impress Krista by dressing up, but it wasn’t enough. Krista tried to bribe her to break up with Matthew, but Ashley tore up the check and turned to walk away. Krista hit her over the head and put her in the boat. Matthew didn’t know what he was seeing until they told him Ashley was dead. Cast Main Cast *Gary Sinise as Mac Taylor *Sela Ward as Jo Danville *Carmine Giovinazzo as Danny Messer *Hill Harper as Sheldon Hawkes *Eddie Cahill as Don Flack *Anna Belknap as Lindsay Messer *AJ Buckley as Adam Ross *Robert Joy as Dr. Sid Hammerback Guest Cast *Alex Ashbaugh as Matthew DiBello *Kathleen York as Krista DiBello *Madeleine Hamer as Ashley Braden *Niko Nicotera as Joseph Skiver *Robbie Williams as Phil Rennick *Alexis Apple as Karma *Tayler Buck as Dee *Eugene Shaw as Uni *Julie McKinnon as A/V Lab Tech *William Mulligan as Pump Operator See Also